This invention relates generally to the field of systems for tracking supplies, and particularly to a computer implemented system for tracking and profiling supply usage at the procedural level in the health care field.
One important consideration in the provision of health care is the allocation, utilization and consumption of resources such as labor, durable equipment, reusable supplies and disposable supplies. For example, one way for supplies to be obtained by hospitals is for a central supply service to order the individual supplies anticipated to be needed for a given time period. These supplies are maintained in a supply room until needed for a given procedure. Once a procedure is scheduled, a pick list (a list of supplies) is generated. A hospital employee then uses the pick list to withdraw the desired items from inventory and place them in the operating room where the procedure takes place. After the procedure is completed, unused supplies are returned to inventory, a list of used supplies is provided to the billing department, and the used supplies are disposed of or re-sterilized. However, this system is costly and inefficient.
For example, a relatively large inventory of supplies has to be maintained, particularly for standard items such as drapes, sponges, sutures, clamps, etc., which could be used in a large variety of procedures. The inventory of such items has to be large in order to insure that sufficient quantities are on hand for every procedure. Furthermore, the act of picking items for surgery and, later, restocking unused items, is onerous and expensive since relatively highly skilled labor is utilized to insure that the proper items were collected and that the restocked items are placed in the proper location. In particular, the restocking of unused items is a substantial burden on the hospital. Each item pulled from inventory has to be either used and billed for, or restocked and not billed for. If an item is not used during the procedure and is billed for anyway, the billing for that product could be considered fraud on the reimbursing party. Since items are often individually wrapped, the restocking procedure could be very time consuming, particularly where sufficient quantities of items are picked from inventory to cover any situation during surgery. For example, it is not uncommon to withdraw ten clamps from inventory and use only three or four, except in situations where heavy bleeding is encountered, which might necessitate the use of all ten.
What is needed, therefore, is an integrated information system for use in healthcare institutions for managing, optimizing and analyzing the use of resources within that institution.
The above and other needs are provided by an information management system for tracking and analyzing information relating to medical supply usage on a procedural level in a clinical setting. Included is a general purpose computer system with storage means for storing data corresponding to the information, processing means for processing instructions relating to tracking and analyzing the information, display means for presenting the information in a human perceptible format, and input means for receiving user input relating to tracking and analyzing the information.
Information management software is installed on the general purpose computer. Node software objects each provide a health care information management function. A clinical pathway node software object selectively creates, manages, and maintains user-defined, user-configurable clinical pathway module software objects adapted to function with the clinical pathway node software object, and represents provider-specific procedural templates of the information relating to health care services procedures.
The clinical pathway module software objects include resource software objects that correspond to resources to be used in providing health care services. This includes a list of supplies that is predetermined to be preferred by a particular healthcare provider for use during a given medical procedure. Also included is a recordation form for the given procedure based upon at least one of the provider-specific procedural templates for the given procedure. The recordation form includes at least a partial listing of the supplies predetermined to be preferred by a particular healthcare provider for use during the given procedure, based upon the at least one provider-specific procedural template. The recordation form also includes a scheduled amount of each of the supplies included in the procedural template to be used during the given medical procedure.
The clinical pathway modules software objects also include container software objects for containing software objects having at least one common characteristic.
A case management node software object selectively creates, manages, and maintains a user-defined, user-configurable case management module software object from the clinical pathway module software object. The case management module software object is adapted to function with the case management node software object. The case management module software object represents a selected clinical pathway module software object as modified to reflect a prospective patient specific case, and contains patient specific information. The case management module software object is also adapted to receive additional patient specific information.
A resource utilization tracking node software object selectively creates, manages, and maintains a user-defined, user-configurable model module software object from the case management module software object. The model module software object is adapted to function with the resource utilization tracking node software object. The model module software object represents a case management module software object as modified by at least the patient specific information to reflect a historical patient specific case. This is accomplished by recording on the recordation form actual usage information that reflects actual usage of supplies during the given procedure.
The items recorded on the recordation form include an issued amount of each of the supplies included in the procedural template, where the issued amount is an amount issued for use in the given procedure. A consumed amount of each of the supplies included in the procedural template is also recorded, where the consumed amount is an amount actually consumed during the given procedure. A returned amount of each of the supplies included in the procedural template is recorded, where the returned amount is an amount returned to storage after the given procedure. Also, a scrapped amount of each of the supplies included in the procedural template is recorded, where the scrapped amount is an amount disposed of but not consumed during the given procedure nor returned to storage.
The resource utilization tracking node software object further selectively creates, manages, and maintains a user-defined, user-configurable utilization study module software object from at least one model module software object. The resource utilization tracking node software object is also for analyzing the utilization study module software object to determine supply request and actual usage patterns on a procedural level over a given time period for the particular healthcare provider. This is done by comparing the issued, consumed, returned, and scrapped amounts, and modifying the provider-specific procedural template to more fully conform to the actual usage patterns based on the analyzing.